Streetball Vixen
by AmberStarling
Summary: Kagami Taiga had travelled back to the States to seek out his old master, the one he called Alex. But she sends him to someone else after a week, saying that he'll need practice knocking sense into people. Who is this new trainer and how similar is she to the Generation of Miracles? "Tell you what, tiger, I'll teach you my tricks, if you teach me to love this sport again."
1. Summary

_Kagami Taiga had travelled back to the States to seek out his old master, the one he called Alex. But she sends him to someone else after a week, saying that he'll need practice knocking sense into people. Who is this new trainer and how similar is she to the Generation of Miracles?_

_"__Tell you what, tiger, I'll teach you my tricks, if you teach me to love this sport again."_


	2. Prologue: Tipsy

She loved basketball, loved it from the bottom of her heart, and then some. It was her reason to live, her excuse to pick herself up and carry on every single time she had been beaten, crushed, defeated. Basketball was a sport, and that meant there was winning to be done, and losing to be prevented.

No… She _had_ loved basketball. It _had_ been her reason to live. It was no longer.

There was a thin line between love and hate, and she was dancing on a tightrope, on knife's edge.

Drinking from from the bottle in her hands, she felt the warmth coursing through her system, and she knew she was tipsy, maybe a little drunk? Yet she also knew she couldn't give it up. Not this sport that she loved. But she had been so apathetic for so long, let down her guard for so long, that she doubted herself. Could she find the passion again? How could she, when she had to rely on alcohol to focus on the court?

She sighed before focusing her gaze on the orange ball in her hands. Lifting it up, she spun the ball on her index finger expertly, then tossed it up and let it land on her knuckle, where it continued to spin. She smiled to herself and tilted her arm. The ball, still spinning, rolled down to her forearm, then back to her elbow. She flipped it up and caught it, still spinning, on the index finger of her opposite hand.

There was no denying it now. Even when she was tipsy, she was well aware she couldn't do this on her own, no matter how much she told herself otherwise. She couldn't love basketball again unless she went back to the times when she had just started out, the times of hardship and endless practice.

But if even Alex couldn't beat her anymore, who would be able to? There was no use, perhaps there was no one out there that was good enough?

Vixen, the renowned queen of L.A. streetball, stayed in bed that day and drank till she had run out of whiskey and the sun had set.


	3. Chapter 1: The Fox

**Chapter 1**

"So, a recap: you've played gambling basketball for a week, and I've been personally training you since then, right?"

Alex's question seemed a little redundant to Kagami, though he replied, "Yeah."

The corners of her lips quirked upwards and the pink glasses she wore slid a little down her nose. "Okay, so in the Winter Cup, you'll be seeing all of the Generation of Miracles, who you have to beat. Why?"

Kagami Taiga wondered absently where this trail of questions would lead. "Because I want Seirin to become the best in Japan. And also because all of them need some sense knocked into their big heads."

"Right," she smiled for real this time. "So, you'll need practice knocking sense into people. Now, come with me."

Alexandra Garcia dragged him along, out of the street basketball court and down the street. Five minutes later they arrived ata large, whitewashed house, with a red roof and a chimney. The number on its gate was 134. It was completely silent, and Kagami saw that the garden was slightly overgrown, the grass left to grow taller than in normal gardens.

"This place is really big. The owner must be really rich," he remarked as Alex kicked open the door.

"Nah," she told him over her shoulder. "All this money was made because of gambling basketball."

He was taken aback. That must be hundreds of thousands of dollars! Who _was_ this person?

The interior was just as nice as the outside. The house was big and modern, with a minimalist style and a black and white colour scheme. The floors were made of a dark, grainy wood, and the walls a pristine white.

"Kitty? Where are you?" Alex called, hands cupped around her mouth. Kitty?! Kagami almost choked. Trust Alex to come up with something that strange with absolutely no basis at all. But that also meant that this mysterious person was a girl… who had to be able to beat gangsters and thugs at basketball. Was that even possible? It seemed that he was going to meet another monster.

Alex led him to the kitchen—another monochromatic space shining with steel cabinets and a low island in the middle. But there was one thing that was out of place. The only thing that was not black or white or shiny steel. Instead, there was bright orange hair, splayed out on the top of the island.

It was a girl, looking about Alex's age, with hair the colour of the basketball that had been left on the floor. Her head was turned away from him and resting on the table. There was a bottle of alcohol near her hand, which lay with its fingers spread out. Alex poked her shoulder. "Oi, wake up." This went on for almost two minutes. "I swear," Alex said as Kagami looked on, feeling a little amused, "if you don't wake up right this second I will kick you out the window and see if you wake up _then_."

Kagami grinned a little at that, before grabbing an empty glass off the rack and filling it with water from the tap. "Here," he tapped Alex's shoulder. "This should help."

With a devious smile and a nod of thanks, Alex poured the entire glass of water onto the girl's head.

She woke screaming. Her head whipped up and she grabbed the bottle of liquor, clutching onto it like it was a lifeline. "Dammit, I was having a great dream. Whiskey was dancing around me!" she yelled, before her gaze settled on Alex as she stumbled backwards into Kagami, shocked. She began to giggle, and that soon escalated into full-blown guffaws. "Ah, Alex, how'd you get 'ere…?" Her voice was slurred slightly and she swayed back and forth, having recovered from the adrenaline shock.

"Kitty!" Alex pushed off Kagami and jumped on the clearly hung over girl, who didn't even fight her off when Alex kissed her full on the lips. "Guess what? I found you an opponent," Alex gushed. Kagami could've sworn that he had never seen Alex so excited.

The girl's head seemed to topple forward of its own accord and her forehead slammed into the table. "I told you before, stop calling me that. 'Kitty' makes me sound like something kind of boy toy. It's not like I'm a kitten or, like, some baby fox. And all your voices are _sooo_ loud."

Kagami cleared his throat. "There's only two of us, and—"

"Inside voice, _both_ of you!" she cut him off. "Oh, wait," she said, and rolled her head over, peeling back her eyelids to look at him, then at Alex. "You think _he_ can go one-on-one with _me_?" She snorted.

He could see where this was going all of a sudden. This girl's attitude was oh so familiar. _Need practice knocking sense into people,_ Alex had said. By 'people' she probably meant this girl. This was further proven by Alex's response. "Yep," she said, popping the 'p'. "I think he'll be a worthy opponent for you. So, Taiga, this is Vixen. Vixen, meet Kagami Taiga."

She groaned and covered her ears. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She rolled her head to peer at Kagami again. "Yo. Vixen's my street name, by the way. Don't bother finding out my real one, no one but me knows." She wiggled her eyebrows at him drunkenly. "Okay, so you want me to play you, huh? I can't say that this'll be fun. I've not lost once since I started playing gambling basketball."

Kagami grinned down at her. "Basketball's only fun when you play strong opponents, so give me all you've got."


	4. Chapter 2: Pajamas and Passion

**Chapter 2: Pajamas and Passion**

Vixen looked a little out of place, standing on the street basketball court in only her pajamas, ratty sport shoes and large sunglasses that covered half her face. With a ball tucked under one arm, she raised her free hand and ruffled up her hair. In the bright sunlight, Kagami could see that her hair wasn't completely neon orange. It had streaks of white in it, like a fox's tail.

Alex had bid goodbye to them only a few minutes ago, waving two fingers and saying that she needed to buy some groceries. That was probably some lame excuse so that she could leave him alone with Vixen.

The girl in question was now pushing up her sunglasses. "Are we going to start or not? I don't have high hopes for you if you're just going to stand around looking into the distance like some AragornTM hobo," she retorted.

He seethed, clenching his hands into fists, before lowering his hips and relaxing into a defensive position. It was going to be a classic half-court one-on-one, with her starting with the ball. The half-court line and other boundary lines would be considered out of bounds, and the ball must start at or reach the three-point line before a basket can be obtained. 'Make it and take it' possession, where you get the ball back after you score.

"Fine," he growled. "But just so you know, I'm going to win."

Vixen's scoff was audible even from where he stood. "Arrogance will get you nowhere, kiddo." He didn't even have to see through her dark shades to know that she was rolling her eyes; he could hear it in her voice.

She began to dribble and advance slowly. Her pace was slower than he had expected, as if she was only strolling. "Hey, who's the one standing around now?" he asked. "Get on with it."

"As you wish," she smiled, but it was more of a simply baring of teeth instead of a mark of emotion. Vixen stopped the ball and straightened, tightening her leg muscles before launching herself up into the air. Kagami could've grinned. That was a mistake, challenging him to an aerial battle. The air was his forte.

He jumped to block, but too late, he realized that her arms weren't extended at all. Instead they were tucked into her chest, the ball lowered. She brought her knees in and tossed the ball _towards_ him _(what is going on?!)_ in a simple chest pass, before landing swiftly while he was still in the air.

Kagami tipped his body so that he could land and get the ball, but she was already there. Vixen dribbled the ball between his legs and followed after it, sliding out of the way just as he landed. He turned to go after her, but there was a _swish_ of the net and ball bounced on that ground.

"W-wha—"

In a flash, she was in front of him, basketball tucked under one arm and index finger pressed to his lips. "Save your exclamations of surprise. They are useless to me," she told him. Her gaze wandered over his body. "You are quite strong… You are here to learn, no? No one has wanted to learn from me in a long time. They usually just walk away with their tails between their legs, regretting ever challenging me in the first place. But you have potential, I will admit, and there is a fire in your eyes."

It was evening, and the sun had moved behind the cluster of trees near the court. She took off her sunglasses, squinting as if her eyes hurt, probably because her hangover wasn't gone yet. He realized suddenly that she was tipsy and drunk while playing a one-on-one with him. How good was she when she was sober? Could she be even better?

But Vixen was still talking, and Kagami tuned in again. "It makes sense, if the 'ka' in your last name means fire," she blinked up at him. "Ooh, I know. I'm the fox and you're the tiger!" She giggled. It was evident that the alcohol hadn't worn off yet, even more so when she raised her hand and poked his nose. "Rawr," she purred, and then collapsed into a puddle of laughter.

Kagami didn't know what to think. They had only played one round but he could already tell that she was really good. But how could a genius be this easily distracted? He sighed and hoisted her doubled-over form up so she was standing straight. "What'd you do that for?" She pouted.

"Oi, I don't even know why Alex put me up with you, but I really need to learn something, okay?" She just giggled up at him. Kagami bristled. "Look, I have a week left. I am the ace of my team and they are depending on me to win the Winter Cup. I have _senpais_, seniors back at home and they're training as hard as they can. I owe them this!" He shook her by the shoulders. "Now, teach me things so that I can go back to Japan and win for my team. I don't have time for your BS!"

A giant smile broke out on her face, and she waved her black sunglasses in his face to get him to put her down. "So you _do_ have passion. Good."

Kagami stared at her. First she acted like an arrogant _baka_, then an airheaded bimbo, and now he really didn't know what to think. Had she tricked him into that outburst?

Vixen's smile grew impossibly wider at his shock. "You know," she started, slipping on her sunglasses, "I find that nowadays basketball is really, really boring. That's why Alex sent you to me. She thinks that you can get me to play like I used to and frankly, I think you have a chance." She walked backwards, ball in hand. "Tell you what, tiger, I'll teach you my tricks, if you teach me to love this sport again."

He looked at her, deadpan. "Sure, but just so you know, I'm a strict teacher."

"All the better," came her answer.


	5. Chapter 3: Proven Yourself

**Chapter 3: Proven Yourself**

It was five before seven in the morning and Vixen was going to be toast if she was late. That is, Kagami thought, if she would actually turn up. She had been almost fifteen minutes late the day before. The minute hand ticked under his glare, slowly creeping forward. Just as it was about to hit 12, she came dashing into the street basketball court.

"What took you so long?" he demanded.

Hands raised to tie up her hair, she replied, groaning, "Ugh, I think Alex took all my Scotch away. This is the first time I'm actually sober in—what? Four months?"

Kagami looked at her bedraggled state, with her hair tied up in a messy bun and dark bags under her eyes like a panda. She was wearing different pajamas this time, batman symbols instead of the polka dots of the day before. He was wearing track pants and a long-sleeved shirt, like he had been since the second day when she had told him to come in this ensemble. All the cloth was hard to move in, and it encumbered his agility and speed. She didn't have a problem though. He figured that it was because she was so used to it.

Three days had passed since Alex brought him to Vixen, and he still had not learnt anything concrete, apart from the knowledge that Vixen was probably on par with the Generation of Miracles back in Japan. All he had been allowed to do in the three days was defend in vain as she got past him time and time again, scoring basket after basket.

Today he would stop her, because if he couldn't stop her, then what about the Generation of Miracles? What about Aomine? He gritted his teeth.

"Whoopdedoo," she sang and took the basketball from him. "Don't look so glum. We're just getting started!"

Was it just him, or did her voice sound higher today? In fact, it was like a squeak now, a squeal. Kagami winced. For three days, she had been getting on his nerves increasingly. Everything about her was irritating. Her smile, her laugh, her voice, the way she flicked her orange and white hair in his face.

She began to dribble, like she had on their first day. Slow and steady, as if waiting for something. That was annoying too, the way she seemed to always be considering, judging him. He got into the now-familiar defensive position and cloth rubbed at his arms and legs. _How do you move in these?!_

Vixen giggled and wiggled the fingers of her free hand at him. He wanted to clutch his head in frustration. The same sunglasses from their first day were perched on her nose and they were completely black from his point of view. He couldn't see her gaze, so she couldn't do any feints with her eyes, but he never knew where she was looking. All she allowed him to see was the slight smirk that constantly played on her lips when they faced off.

Suddenly, she backed up half a step before launching the ball into the air. _What? Barrier Jump like Hyuuga?!_ _But her form is completely unlike his. It'll never go in! _Kagami tried to bat the ball out of its flight path, but another hand caught it first. He looked down to find that Vixen had dashed around him and leapt up to guide the ball to the basket. _A one-man alley-oop?!_

Her taunting laugh sounded again, and she took up her offensive position once more. Her dribbling seemed faster now, but it still sounded steady, like his heartbeat. He closed his eyes. _If I look at you right now, I'll probably end up punching you in the face. What does she think she's teaching me anyway? Waste of my time and—_

There was a sudden squeak that snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes snapped open and he saw her moving towards him. He didn't know what she was going to do. The ball went upwards so he jumped after it, but it was already swerving, using momentum from the moment she had snapped her arm outwards and spun it like a yo-yo.

This would have been all a bystander would've seen, but Kagami was only focused on the moment. His senses opened and he could feel the air that was displaced as the ball flew sideways. It was near his hip, moving quickly, but Kagami willed himself to be just as fast.

Twisting his body a little, he caught the ball, snatched it out of mid-air, and then… Well, he _would've_ scored his first basket against her, had he not lost his balance and fallen back onto his butt, that is. "I lost the ball, dammit!" He slammed his fists against the ground in frustration.

Slipping off her sunglasses, Vixen hooked them onto her shirt collar before leaning down to pick up the ball. Kagami noticed that her eyes weren't dilated. Guess she really wasn't drunk. "Look at it this way, at least you managed to block my shot for the first time!"

"How did that happen anyway? Is it because you're sober or something?" he asked as he stood up and dusted himself off.

She waved a hand, nonchalant. "Nah, not that. But I do have to congratulate you. You managed to defend against me in three days. Most people would've taken three months, judging by their skill." She smiled. "Now, what did I just teach you?"

Kagami's reply was an intelligent "Huh?"

Vixen sighed and reached down. To Kagami's horror, she slipped off her pants and T-shirt. Tossing her pajamas to the side, she lifted her chin and met Kagami's gaze head on. She shook her head when she saw the red tint on his cheeks at the sight of her sports bra and shorts, saying, "You're blushing, and your mouth is hanging open like a fish. Ew, Japan has made you conservative!"

His blink was the response that she got.

"Gah, never mind," she said, though a slight grin curled her lips. "You've proven yourself better than I would've thought, so now we start the real training."


	6. Chapter 4: Love and Victory

**Chapter 4: Love and Victory**

The Seirin basketball team was celebrating even as they exited the court. Touou had been a strong opponent and Aomine had been a monster, as expected. But against the odds, Seirin had won and, damn, didn't it feel good.

Kagami supported Kuroko as they walked, and the grin on his face was relentless. All of them were exhausted—the teal-haired boy most of all, though right now all they could feel was victorious euphoria.

He guessed he had Alex and Vixen to thank. They had pushed him hard and taught him things he had not known, especially Vixen, irritating though she was.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar squeak and the _thump thump thump_ of someone dribbling nearby. The beat was familiar too, steady and slow, like his heartbeat. Kagami felt an involuntary spark of irritation. Pulling Kuroko with him without thinking, he headed towards the street basketball court.

"Kagami! Where are you going?" Hyuuga was the first to react.

"Yeah, aren't you dead tired? You still wanna play basketball?" Koganei echoed.

He ignored them, entering the court before passing Kuroko's dead weight over to Kiyoshi. She hadn't noticed them yet, and was still dribbling, doing crossovers now and then. Kagami blinked. There was a genuine smile on her face. It was hard to notice, but it was there. So he had made her love basketball once more.

Then, she drew up from her position at the three-point line and leapt into the air. Seirin stared in awe at the girl with neon orange hair, her bright white streaks gleaming in the evening light. She released the ball and it soared into the air. Kagami frowned. _What's she aiming at? The ball's going up too high! _Indeed, as the basketball arced upward, it hit the backboard before balancing on its edge for a tense few seconds, teetering back and forth. Finally, it tumbled into the net.

Vixen did a fist pump, a giant smile breaking out to dance upon her lips. Kagami caught the ball as it fell from the basket and passed it back to her. She received the pass easily, even though she seemed startled, having only noticed Seirin now. "Tiger, good to see you," she said in heavily accented Japanese, nodding at him. "That match was beautiful, by the way. Great job."

Izuki stepped forward. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Oh," Vixen lifted her sunglasses and winked at them. Some of his teammates blushed and averted their eyes. Again, Kagami noticed that her eyes weren't dilated. "My name's Vixen. I think the translation would be Kitsune? I'm Taiga's trainer from the States, along with Alex. I came to see my student perform." Her announcement was met with a few doubtful glances at her rubber ducky pajamas and messy hair. She sighed. "What's wrong with PJs? Why can't anyone take me seriously like this?"

"Guess you'll have to show them with basketball then," Kagami interjected, grinning and getting into his defensive position. She smiled back and dribbled faster. He took the moment to ask, "You're sober?"

"Haven't touched my Scotch since Day Three," she replied.

"How—"

"I don't need alcohol to focus on the court anymore, when I have a love for the sport again. Thanks for that, by the way," she said.

"You're welcome." His smile widened as she raised the ball and passed in what looked like a random direction.

Seirin was still taken aback after Vixen had talked about loving basketball again so casually. She seemed to be very good at basketball, though her style was a little like Aomine's, filled with unnecessary movements. They were surprised, of course, but even more so when a basketball came out of nowhere and hit their captain on the head, knocking his glasses to the ground. Hyuuga, still in clutch mode, fumbled at his glasses desperately before straightening and slipping them back on. "Bakas!" he yelled and shook a fist at them. Riko laughed as Kagami cringed and ran after Vixen.

The agile girl had already snatched the ball out of the air after it had rebounded off Hyuuga's head. Kagami was only a few steps behind her, but that seemed like a great distance when she twisted her arm and tossed the ball up. It swerved in the air, spinning, and the net _swooshed_.

She turned to Kagami, frowning behind her sunglasses. "You should've been able to block that, you know. But it's late and all of you are tired. Go home, kiddos. You need to rest, especially you." She pointed at the half-asleep Kuroko who was still leaning against Kiyoshi.

"You can see him?!" Izuki exclaimed.

"Uh, _duh_," she replied, arms akimbo. "He has blue-coloured hair. How could I not?" That said, she made a shooing motion with her hands. "Go home. I think I'll still be around here tomorrow, if you want to come see me."

With doubtful glances, the Seirin team left the street basketball court. They walked in silence before Riko asked, "How did she train you, Kagami-kun? I saw a lot of improvement in your stats and your speed and agility."

Kagami stretched and yawned before taking Kuroko from Kiyoshi. He said, "She made me play in long-sleeved shirts and long pants to restrict my movements. You don't know how good my jersey felt after that week. I can appreciate the freedom it allows me now, and that's probably why I feel faster when I play. She wears sunglasses that I can't see through, so I can't see her feints, or where she's looking. She trained me to react instead of predict, so my instincts are better and my senses sharper.

"She told me, '_To me, technique doesn't matter at all. Instinct _is_ your technique. It is your teacher, your best friend, and also a student, something to train and hone to perfection. If you sense a move coming before it even takes effect, what use do you have for predicting? I'm not saying you shouldn't use your brain. By all means, observe your opponent, think up scenarios. But when the time comes and you face each other on the court, you don't think. You should be _reacting_.'_ "

Kagami smiled a little, saying, "She and Alex helped me a lot."

Seirin looked at their ace and power forward. Perhaps, they thought, they owed more to Vixen than they knew.

Far behind them in the basketball court, came the squeaking of shoes and the steady dribbling of a ball. Elated laughter echoed into the evening shadows as the streetball vixen played the game that she would forever love.


End file.
